Friday, June 22, 2012

Considering
HART provides more than 50,000 bus trips every weekday, every day is Dump the
Pump Day for thousands in Hillsborough County. But for those who haven’t tried
transit, a day is set aside every year to raise awareness about how easy it is
to keep more money in your pocket and away from the pump: “National Dump the Pump Day.”

Transit
agencies across the country took on activities to promote Dump the Pump –
discounted fares, giveaways, social media promotions, the list goes on.

But what better way to highlight Dump
the Pump Day than highlighting a real-life pump dumper: Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe.

@MarkSharpeFL: National
Dump the Pump Day - everyone is encouraged to take transit for the day. I am at
stop 1859 – sweating

Commissioner Mark Sharpe tweeted his ride for Dump the Pump

I met up with Commissioner Sharpe on
Kennedy Boulevard to pick up Route 30, going westbound towards Tampa
International Airport.

Commissioner Sharpe is familiar with
Route 30, but today’s ride was different – it was in honor of Dump the Pump Day
– so it deserved extra attention.

“We’re going to have fun with this,” he
said to me.

Little did I know that meant a Twitter
play-by-play!

@MarkSharpeFL: Riding the 1001 east on Kennedy – every seat is
taken and its ice cold inside

It’s
true. Annual ridership on Route 30 is about 800,000.

We
sat next to a young adult who moved from Connecticut just five days ago to take
a job in downtown Tampa. He takes the Route 30 every day from Memorial Highway
into Downtown Tampa, and hadn’t even thought about getting a car just yet. Transit
was his first option.

Attracting
young workers to this area caught Commissioner Sharpe’s attention. In fact, he
showed me the book he was currently reading:
The New Geography of Jobs, by
Enrico Moretti.

“Transit
will drive the new economy,” he said. “Young workers will use it as a safe way
to get to work because they don’t have to deal with insurance and paying high
gas prices.”

@MarkSharpeFL: Waiting at the next stop w/ HART's superb PIO - I am
very impressed - but also dishing out grief. Why can't I track my bus w/phone
app now?

Good
news is that MetroRapid North-South – opening early next year – will feature
ticket vending machines at major station stops and they accept debit cards. This
type of off-board fare collection means not having to wait behind riders paying
with quarters.

@MarkSharpeFL: Passing @BuddyBrewCoffee
on HART #2411 - sure would like a cup of coffee on this trip. Can't remember
bus drinking policy, looking for rules

@MarkSharpeFL: Almost downtown - making great time - even with the
60 to 70 stops (average).

Not
that we stopped at every one of those stops along Route 30, but with increased
ridership, HART drivers are overall stopping at more stops these days. On some
of our busier runs, drivers are stopping at two-thirds of all stops along a
route. So now, we’re asking for a little help from our customers on faster
boarding and exiting to help keep everyone’s trip pleasant and buses running on
time: Ride HART. Be
Smart

@MarkSharpeFL: Downtown has plenty of solar pay stations for
parking - HART should explore same for our busier stops

@MarkSharpeFL: Made it to County Center in record time. Just a
short walk from stop to my office. Still no coffee

All
downtown workers can ride HART to work. HART operates nine express routes that serve
as money-saving options for our downtown Tampa workers who have long commutes
(or short ones too!) These express routes travel along Marion Transit Parkway,
and if that’s not a close walk to your office, the In-Town Trolley operates as
a circulator every weekday 6 – 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 – 6 p.m. It serves stops in
Harbor Island, along Tampa Street and Florida Avenue every 15 minutes. Pay with
your monthly bus pass or with a quarter.

I
had a little further to go, so Commissioner Sharpe and I parted ways. But he
didn’t depart from twitter when he picked up the bus again later that afternoon
to go home for the day:

@MarkSharpeFL: Back to Bus for "quick" ride home. Eager
to see if bus is on time.

@MarkSharpeFL: Standing at the City Hall Station waiting for the
#30. Looking at color coded map that makes hieroglyphics seem simple. Who made the
maps?

@MarkSharpeFL: Bus on time and full - so much for no-one rides the
bus argument. Sitting next to guy who sells Epoch on Kennedy. Everyone takes
bus to work

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

During Monday's HART Major
Projects & Legislative Committee meeting, HART unveiled a real-time
passenger pilot project underway between HART and USF's Center for Urban
Transportation Research (CUTR). The pilot is testing One Bus Away,
transportation technology that tells users where their bus is and how much time
until the next one departs. Similar technology is currently offered by PSTA to its customers.

HART was chosen for this pilot
because of its property size, physical proximity to CUTR, as well as previous
partnerships that already involved the use of HART data.

One Bus Away provides Real-time info

Over the next year, the pilot
will focus on one or two major routes, and target its potential use for web,
Droid Smartphones, and basic cell phones. The pilot will research the
feasibility of deploying this technology to the entire HART network, including
via text messages and integrating it with the current HART Interactive Voice
Response system.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

We understand the difficulties in
attempting to navigate the local public transportation scene without an
idea on what to see and do and how to get there. So, we created this
guide that breaks down some of Tampa's best attractions and how to get
there with HART and the TECO Line Streetcar!

Use HART to get to the following Tampa attractions and avoid the parking hassles:

Flying out? Route 30 runs between downtown and Tampa
International Airport every 30 minutes on weekdays and weekends. Service
begins at 4:40 a.m. through midnight during the week and 7 a.m. to 10
p.m. on the weekends.

A 3-day Visitor Unlimited
HARTride card is your best bet at only $11.00 and valid on all HART
local buses, In-Town Trolley and the TECO Line Streetcar System.

Things to know about the In-Town Trolley and TECO Line Streetcar System:

In-Town Trolley: The In-Town Trolley is a rubber-wheeled vehicle, that makes stops at popular locations in downtown Tampa
weekdays, 6 - 9 a.m. and 3 - 6 p.m. The line operate on a 15-minute frequency and costs only 25¢!

TECO Line Streetcar Line: The streetcar line runs on rails
that connects Ybor City, Channelside and Downtown Tampa. It operates 12
p.m. - 10 p.m. on Thursday, and 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. on Fridays and
Saturdays. Streetcar Operators do not provide change.

It's easy to plan your own trip! Visit www.goHART.org to use the Google Trip Planner feature or call 813-254-HART (4278).Click here for a map of downtown Tampa's network of public transportation service,
including streetcar stops, In-Town Trolley service and HART bus routes.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

HART and the TECO Line Streetcar would like to welcome all those in town
for the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Conference!

We understand the difficulties in
attempting to navigate the local public transportation scene without an
idea on what to see and do and how to get there. So, we created this
guide that breaks down some of Tampa's best attractions and how to get
there with HART and the TECO Line Streetcar!

Use HART to get to the following Tampa attractions and avoid the parking hassles:

Flying out? Route 30 runs between downtown and Tampa
International Airport every 30 minutes on weekdays and weekends. Service
begins at 4:40 a.m. through midnight during the week and 7 a.m. to 10
p.m. on the weekends.

A 3-day Visitor Unlimited
HARTride card is your best bet at only $11.00 and valid on all HART
local buses, In-Town Trolley and the TECO Line Streetcar System.

Things to know about the In-Town Trolley and TECO Line Streetcar System:

In-Town Trolley: The In-Town Trolley is a rubber-wheeled vehicle, that makes stops at popular locations in downtown Tampa
weekdays, 6 - 9 a.m. and 3 - 6 p.m. The line operate on a 15-minute frequency and costs only 25¢!

TECO Line Streetcar Line: The streetcar line runs on rails
that connects Ybor City, Channelside and Downtown Tampa. It operates 12
p.m. - 10 p.m. on Thursday, and 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. on Fridays and
Saturdays. Streetcar Operators do not provide change.

It's easy to plan your own trip! Visit www.goHART.org to use the Google Trip Planner feature or call 813-254-HART (4278).

Click here for a map of downtown Tampa's network of public transportation service,
including streetcar stops, In-Town Trolley service and HART bus routes.

The streetcar rumbling through the Channel District past the family fun of The Florida Aquarium and Tampa Bay History Center. Residents of the nearby condos and visitors enjoying frou-frou drinks in the courtyard of Channelside Bay Plaza, the faint sound of the "clang" from the streetcar bell in the distance. The streetcar marching on to The Tampa Bay Times Forum and Hattricks which are both overflowing with Lightning bolts for game night.

Notice the streetcar in the "P" in Tampa!

Ask a hundred different people and you'll get a hundred different answers, however the TECO Line Streetcar usually finds its way into collective image of Tampa.

Since returning to the streets of Tampa in 2002, the TECO Line Streetcar has provided an iconic backdrop to a number of media outlets including international (Daily Mirror), national (Super Bowl XLIII broadcasts, NEW ERA commercial featuring Tampa Bay Ray Evan Longoria, Southern Living, Travel and Leisure Magazine, etc.) and local (broadcast news morning shows, local magazines).

Needless to say, the streetcar craves the limelight!

We're kicking off "Fan Photo Fridays"!

We're looking to take advantage of the streetcar as an iconic backdrop by kicking off a new promotion that we're calling Fan Photo Fridays! Starting today, we're looking for your best shots of the TECO Line Streetcar in Ybor, Channelside and downtown Tampa! Send your photos via our Facebook (tag the streetcar or upload directly to the page,) and Twitter (upload the photo and use the hashtag #TampaStreetcar).

Every Friday morning we'll choose a photo to be featured as our cover photo on the TECO Line Streetcar Facebook page and the photographer will receive a shout out! Each winning photo will then be placed in a monthly raffle for a prize.

Things to know about Fan Photo Fridays:

Vertical photos work best with the cover photos

Cover photos are 851 pixels wide x 315 pixels tall

Only photos with the streetcar (somewhere) in it will be included

Both smartphone and traditional camera photos will be accepted, so FILTER away!

Prizes are subject to change

Only one entry per person, per week

By submitting your photo, you grant HART permission to use your
photo for all purposes, including marketing and promotion. You also
confirm that you have all rights necessary to grant this permission,
including from all subjects in the photo and the person who took the
photo.